Why is Australia’s 3G being shut down – and could it spell chaos?

Telstra and Optus are preparing for a 31 August shutdown of 3G, the mobile network that dates back to the early days of the iPhone. Photograph: Will Burgess/Reuters

It’s the end of an era as Telstra and Optus prepare to shut down 3G – a mobile network that dates back to the early days of the iPhone – at the end of August.

While there are few phones in the market that will be affected, business groups are worried that alarms, CCTV and other products reliant on 3G will be, and that Australian businesses might not realise until it’s too late.